Use of vibratory apparatuses for forcing members into and out of the ground is well known in the art. For example, international patent application publication No. WO00/77308 filed by Expotech Limited on Jun. 12, 2000 and international patent application publication No. WO93/07341, filed by Raunisto on Sep. 30, 1992, both teach vibratory apparatuses suitable for connection to movable device arms of a driving or positioning device, such as the articulated arms found on booms, excavators or many other construction devices. Such apparatuses typically include jaws or grips for retaining the members, for example piles or the like therebetween. A vibration means connected to the jaws causes vibration of the jaws, which transfer the vibration to the members held therebetween. A conventional hinge attachment, well known in the art, having a hinge and a tilting hydraulic piston and cylinder combination connects the apparatus to the device arms, and provides lateral or sideways tilting of the apparatus and the members in the jaws relative the device arms. The hinge attachment may be connected to a housing for the jaws or vibration means. Alternatively, the hinge attachment may be connected to a rotator means, such as a motorized rotation means, well known in the art, connected to the housing or vibrator means, in which case the jaws and vibrator means are also rotatable around an axis defined by the rotatable cylinder. By use of the device arms, the apparatus, and notably the members, can be raised and lowered proximal a work surface or material, for example a cement or ground surface. The vibrator means connected to the jaws causes the members to vibrate and enables the members to penetrate the material or surface, allowing the members to be forced into or withdrawn from the material or surface. The members may be of any type, but are typically members used for construction and excavation work, such as round pipes, pipes, logs, planks, or H-shaped metal beams.
Disadvantageously, such conventional apparatuses, specifically the jaws thereof, are poorly adapted to retaining round members, such as pipes, or wooden logs often used therewith. Thus, the conventional apparatuses present a risk that the members may break or become dislodged from the jaws during application of the member to the material. Further, for conventional apparatuses, the vibrator means does not contact directly contact any of the members, and the vibration generated by the vibrator means is therefore applied only indirectly via the jaws. Accordingly, significant amounts of energy are expended, unnecessarily, to obtain sufficient vibration of the members to break or penetrate the work surface or material.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved vibratory apparatus for forcing members into and out of a material.